Traditional towing technologies have incorporated various types of coupling devices, which may traditionally be referred to as a hitch or hitches, for the coupling of a trailer to a source of towing power. Hitches may generally be considered implements in a broad field potentially including a coupling portion associated with a source of towing power and a coupling portion associated with the trailer to be towed. A hitch configuration may be generally considered as having portions that are associated with the “tow-side” and portions that are associated with a “towed-side”.
Hitch technology can include various hitch configurations, and may include gooseneck configurations, fifth wheel configurations, bumper pull or tongue configurations, pintle configurations, as well as other hitch configurations. The hitch may have one or more couple portions such as one or more receivers, inserts, pins, balls, rings, hooks, bars, tubes, bumpers, plates, plugs, tongues, or other such couplings. In order to affect a coupling of the portions of the hitch, each portion of the hitch may need to be aligned so that a coupling may be established. The task of coupling the couple portions of a hitch, and the alignment of such portions, is traditionally accomplished in some fashion by adjusting the position of one or both of the couple portions. The task of adjusting couple portions of hitches, however, may not have been conventionally facilitated for the various hitch configurations. As but one example, a traditional pull-type trailer may have a tongue hitch portion or a bumper or receiver portion at the towed-side and a ball hitch portion at the tow-side. These may require alignment of the tongue or coupler element and the ball to establish the coupling. Other hitch configurations and trailer types, can also require alignment of coupling portions to establish the coupling and allow towing.
In a typical hitch coupling process, the source of tow power may be initially positioned in a fore-aft direction to bring the tow-side hitch portion and the tow-side couple portion (such as a ball) within an acceptable distance of the towed-side hitch portion and the towed-side couple portion (such as a tongue). An initial tow-side adjustment may involve a rough alignment in a lateral direction (a direction roughly perpendicular to the typical direction of towing). The relative positions of the ball and tongue and the vertical distance between the hitch portions may be potentially considered as part of the initial tow-side adjustment. To establish the coupling, an adjustment of the towed-side hitch portion may follow the initial positioning of the source of tow power. This may even be followed by subsequent steps of attempted adjustment from the tow-side until an acceptable alignment of the tow-side and towed-side hitch portions is achieved and hitch coupling is established. This adjustment process can apply to each of the various hitch and trailer configurations, such as gooseneck, fifth wheel, bumper/receiver, A-frame types (including but not limited to industry standard class I, II, III, IV and V configurations), coupler-ball, and pintle configurations as may be used for various trailer body types, including but not limited to: camper bodies, van bodies, horse trailer bodies, flat beds, agricultural use bodies, car haulers, and all other commercial and recreational bodies.
As mentioned, after achieving a first gross adjustment or perhaps an initial positioning of the tow-side (which in some instances can involve several adjustments of the source of tow power), a second adjustment is often made to the towed-side hitch portion. In some hitch configurations, the towed-side hitch portion, and potentially the trailer itself, may be physically forced by one or more individuals to provide lateral and/or vertical adjustment of the towed-side hitch portion. Often this only works on hard, smooth, flat, and fairly level surfaces. The individuals may also interpose themselves between the source of tow power and the trailer during these adjustments, creating a potentially dangerous situation. In some hitch applications, a vertical jack may be provided for vertical adjustment of the towed-side hitch portion. Sometimes, the individuals involved may provide visual or audible guidance to an individual controlling the source of tow power during the adjustment from the tow-side. Again, this sometimes-difficult process can create a dangerous situation.
In some hitch configurations, positioning of the tow-side hitch portion is only approximate in that additional lateral and vertical adjustment may be required of either or both the tow-side and the towed-side hitch portions to achieve coupling. The additional lateral and vertical adjustment of the tow-side and the towed-side hitch portions of conventional technologies may be a time-consuming and inconvenient. Individuals controlling the source of tow power may be inexperienced, delays can occur, and risks can be created. Some trailers may be simply too heavy for manual lifting and lateral adjustment by individuals, potentially resulting in a failure to initially couple the hitch portions and possibly creating further risks or strains to individuals. Environmental factors can also affect the hitch coupling process. Terrain conditions can affect the positioning of the source of tow power during the coupling process. Sometimes, after an adjustment of the source of tow power has been made the source of tow power, such as a truck or other vehicle, may adjust under its own weight, a result potentially due to mud, snow, mechanical, or other conditions. Wind or unintended forces applied to the vehicle could also cause the vehicle to move from an adjusted position.
In all of the foregoing, the conventional technologies can suffer from various drawbacks. Some hitch and trailer configurations may provide a wheel at or near the towed-side hitch portion to allow lateral adjustment of such portion. Even with this type of an arrangement, drawbacks such as accuracy, time to achieving hitch coupling, and dangers and strains to individuals during the adjustment process can remain. This wheel-type technology can also suffer unintended adjustment. This type of unintended adjustment may even be generated by an unintended movement of the trailer, such as movement created by external forces corresponding to wind or an errant force applied by an individual or vehicle, or even as a result of lower frictional forces and the weight of the trailer. Forces may be generated by potential energy, tensions or elastic movements of wheels, axles, or other portions of the trailer, and may further manifest themselves as torque applied to or from portions of the trailer after or during such a process. The wheel-type technology may also not optimally maintain the intended position of the towed-side hitch portion or the intended trailer position, under some conditions and may require additional adjustments of one or both of the tow-side and towed-side hitch portions. These conditions may also exist during vertical adjustment of the towed-side hitch portion, and lateral positioning may not be maintained during vertical adjustment of the towed-side hitch portion. Wheel-type technology may also be difficult to use for heavy trailers and it is not usually even available for heavier commercial flat bed, pintle-type trailers or for gooseneck or fifth wheel-type trailers in either a commercial or a recreational context.
Other systems have attempted to address positioning as well. These technologies may include one or more plates or other elements that are laid upon the ground surface and upon which a wheel or other support element of the trailer rests. Some of the existing technologies can still require physical adjustment such as pushing, pulling, or lifting the towed-side hitch portion. They can also need to be stored for use when hitch coupling is established, potentially creating additional inconvenience. Plates can need to be placed underneath supporting elements of the trailer, adding further complication and steps to the hitch coupling process. Existing systems may even lack refined adjustment capability. Some existing systems have attempted to address lateral adjustment of one or more hitch portions during the coupling process. V-pan or guidance elements may lack the ability to maintain or be responsive to positioning of the tow-side and towed-side hitch portions, especially if unintended movement of the towed-side hitch portion or trailer occurs as described above. They may lack full adjustment capabilities and can still require multiple steps for adequate alignment, perhaps two actions at once such as the act of pushing or pulling the trailer laterally while simultaneously lowering the trailer onto the ball. Some systems may be associated with the source of tow power, thereby potentially reducing the availability of certain sources of tow power or requiring removal and/or reconfiguration of the source of tow power.